US blasts China's 'destabilising' military activity near TaiwanA day after clashing with China's defence minister over Taiwan in their first face-to-face talks, Lloyd Austin called out Beijing's "growing coercion" towards the islandSINGAPORE - US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin Saturday blasted China's "provocative, destabilising" military activity near Taiwan, a day after his Chinese counterpart warned him that Beijing was prepared to go to war over the island. A day after clashing with China's defence minister over Taiwan in their first face-to-face talks, Austin called out Beijing's "growing coercion" towards the island. "We've witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilising military activity near Taiwan," Austin told the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore. "That includes (Chinese military) aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months, and nearly on a daily basis," he said. On Friday, the issue was top of the agenda at talks between Austin and China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the summit.

Source: Bangkok Post June 11, 2022 13:14 UTC